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Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon (also known as Batgirl and Oracle) was a vigilante and later police officer for the New York City Police Department. Biography Early life Barbara Gordon was born on December 28, 1969 in New York City, New York to Police Commissioner James Gordon and the librarian Barbara Kean-Gordon. She had a much older half-brother, Anthony, as well as another older brother, James Jr., whom she was raised with in Forest Hills. Even as a young girl, Barbara wanted nothing more than to be a super-hero after being told of the stories about the Bat-man legends by her father. At the age of ten, Gordon learned that she was gifted with a photographic memory and committed herself towards her academic achievements. After the return of the Batman in the early 1980's, Barbara immediately became infatuated with Gotham's protector and tried to learn everything that she could about him. After learning that the Batman was working alongside the police, she snuck into her father's private home office to discover him engaged in a secret conversation with Batman himself. Her obsession with the vigilante only intensified. The following morning, Gordon insisted that her father enroll her in martial arts classes. While reluctant at first, he recognized that the daughter of Gotham's police captain could definitely benefit from some knowledge of self-defense. Barbara excelled in her training and earned her black belt within a short span of time. Becoming Batgirl In 1988, Gordon found an opportunity that would ultimately change her life forever. The New York City Police Department decided to host the Million Dollar Masquerade Ball at the Bristol Country Club. Dozens of Gotham's most affluent leading citizens, including the likes of Bruce Wayne and Roland Daggett, were expected to attend. Barbara sewed a stylish, feminine version of Batman's costume based upon designs that she first conceived as a child. For the most part, she intended on crashing the party as this "Batgirl" merely to spite her father. When she arrived however, she found that somebody else had decided to crash the party before her. A costumed criminal named Killer Moth and his cronies raided the country club, grabbing Wayne as a hostage. It was their intent to rob the charity proceeds as well as extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from Gotham's wealthiest patrons. Now finding herself acting as Batgirl in deed as well as in name, she tackled Killer Moth in the hopes of rescuing Wayne from his clutches. What she did not realize though, was that Bruce Wayne was actually Batman. He allowed Batgirl to "rescue" him so that he could sneak off to change into his "work" clothes. Returning to the scene with his sidekick, Robin, Batman discovered that Killer Moth had gotten the better of Batgirl. In order to free her from the morass of Killer Moth's silk-spinner gun, they were forced to let the criminals get away. Batman chided Batgirl harshly for her foolish antics, and warned her against pursuing such a reckless lifestyle. Hearing such criticism from a man she idolized for so long was a shock for Barbara, but it did not deter her from her chosen path and was able to solve the case. Despite his disapproval, he sent her Batarangs via Dick Grayson, who subtly revealed to her that he was Robin. It was at this time that Batman revealed his identity. Personality and traits Relationships Family James Gordon Friendships Jason Todd Romances Dick Grayson Jason Bard Bruce Wayne Powers and Abilities Powers Barbara Gordon possessed no known superhuman abilities. Abilities Intellect: Barbara was shown to have a naturally high intelligence. Eidetic Memory: Skilled Detective: Trained by her own father and Batman himself, Barbara was surrounded by great detectives. Leadership: Gordon demonstrated a great penchant for leading others as she got older. Computer Operation and Hacking: Gordon was extremely proficient with computers. Eventually, Barbara became an expert computer hacker. With her computer hacking skills, she was able to breach the highest security systems. Martial Arts Training: Barbara was a trained martial artist. She had knowledge in Boxing, Judo and Kung Fu and earned a black belt in Karate. Batman also taught her Jujitsu. Stealth: Weaponry: Barbara displayed skill with various weapons including Batarangs, firearms and swords. Expert Marksman: Gordon was taught in the use of firearms by her father and was known to have carried one at her apartment while attending college. After joining the police force, Barbara's skill with a handgun became even better. Paraphernalia Equipment * Batgirl Costume: In her early days, Barbara incorporated her costume from everyday clothes. A skirt became a cape, a beret became a cowl and her handbag doubled as a utility pocketbook. * Utility Belt: As Batgirl, her equipment included Batarangs, smoke bombs, a grappling hook, and some other gadgets. In her early days, she also used a pocketbook, but discarded it as it was too bulky. * Cowl Lenses: As Batgirl, Barbara could press a button on her cowl which put various lenses over her eyes. She had a clear lens, a telescopic-vision lens, a microscopic-vision lens, a thermal lens, and a multi-light tracer lens. The multi-light tracer device had eventually replaced her Batcycle's function. Transportation * Batcycle: As Batgirl, Barbara Gordon rode a specially modified motorcycle, with a built-in crime-detection lab. Weapons Batarangs Eskrima Sticks Handgun Appearances References Category:Humans Category:Females Category:New York City police officers Category:Members of the Batman Family Category:Gordon family Category:Justice Society members